National Anthem Shocker

appalling, if they won't sing the National Anthem how dare they represent our country? Almost as bad as the woman on the left in this photo.

Immortalised in Sand

That was the caption on this picture from this BBC story. Some idiots have vandalised a set of sand sculptures in Weymouth, including one of Andy Murray holding the Wimbledon trophy. Strangely, "Sculptures of ET, a smurf and the Gruffalo remained untouched."

And now the phrase is rolling round my head. Immortalised in sand. Sand which crumbles underneath you in a storm, sand which blows away on the wind (I watched Spiderman 3 last night, the powerful image of Spiderman saying 'I forgive you' to Sandman, who then, bit by bit, is released into a stream of sand and blows away). 

As Spiderman discovers, fame isn't all its cracked up to be, better to be loved than to be immortalised in sand, waiting for the next dousing of rain, or the next idiot to come and destroy you. What a blessing to be able to receive eternal life as a gift, one that nothing can erode.

The pursuit of happiness has overtaken everything else as the top value in the West. But is it the right sort? Interesting research here contrasting two types, 'hedonic' happiness, the 'immortalised in sand' stuff of fame and pleasure, and 'eudamonic' which comes from a 'deep sense of purpose and well being'. Turns out a sense of purpose and meaning is good for your health, licking the earth is bad for it. Tastes sandy too.

Usain Bolt's Life Lessons

What a dream job: watching sport  all the time and calling it scientific study. An article in the European Journal of Physics (how many EU commissioners can you fit on the head of a pin?) examines the physics of Usain Bolt, and came to this startling discovery:

The team calculated that Bolt's maximum power occurred when he was less than one second into the race and was only at half his maximum speed. This demonstrates the near immediate effect of drag, which is where air resistance slows moving objects.

They also discovered less than 8% of the energy his muscles produced was used for motion, with the rest absorbed by drag.

92% of his energy is expended simply overcoming drag. 

Which made me wonder if a similar proportion applies in other fields of life. If from all that effort that Bolt puts in, just under 1/12th goes in forward motion, then what's the proportion for, say, parenting? Leading a church? Community development? Trying to get fit? Growing in character? 

If life feels like a drag, then perhaps that instinct is scientifically correct, and it literally is. Unless we're competing at altitude with a following wind (metaphor alert?), then we may end up wondering why every bit of effort we put in doesn't immediately translate into a result. But if 9% or more does, then we're doing better than Usain. 

Olympic Anthems - the Reserve Squad

With everyone now heartily sick of the Chariots of Fire theme, Spandau Ballets 'Gold'  and anything by the Beatles or Queen, here are a few musical suggestions which could have worked at the various Olympic venues and events.

Torch Relay - There is a Light That Never Goes Out (The Smiths)

4x100 Relay - I Started Something I Couldn't Finish (The Smiths)

4x400 Relay - Oops I Did It Again (Britney Spears)

Boxing  - Hit Me Baby One More Time (Spears)

Taekwondo  - Aint that a Kick in the Head (Frank Sinatra, at a guess - I'm not really with it on jazz))

10m Diving - Vertigo (U2)/Going Under (Evanescence)

Archery/Shooting - Dont Want to Miss a Thing (Aerosmith)

Velodrome - Round and Round (New Order)

Horseriding - Jump (Van Halen) or if that fails Whip It (Devo)

Weightlifting - Lifted (Lighthouse Family)/Lift Me Up (Howard Jones)

Pommel Horse - Teenage Kicks (Undertones)

Vault - Head over Heels (Tears for Fears)

Beach Volleyball - On the Beach (Kirsty MacColl, or Chris Rea)/Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini (Black Lace, I think)

Closing Ceremony - Rio (Duran Duran)

But what a fantastic couple of weeks, and it looks like the Paralympics might be a sell out too, as people can't get enough of the Olympic spirit. How we build on the goodwill, sense of a job well done, success and fun of the last fortnight seems to be up for grabs - the BBC didn't help by ending Sunday night with a downbeat song and then a trailer for a series on Jack the Ripper. It almost made me long for a 4th song by the Who.

Massive congratulations to the atheletes, coaching staff, volunteers, organisers, army, LOCOG and everyone involved. It's been brilliant.

Marginal Gains for God

Dave Brailsford, on cycling success, from the BBC Olympic coverage:

Brailsford has also been expanding on the idea of 'marginal gains':

"The whole principle came from the idea that if you broke down everything you could think of an improved it by 1% and put it back together again you will get a significant increase.

"There's fitness and conditioning but there are other things that might seem on the periphery like sleeping in the right position, having the same pillow when you are going away and training in different places, hygiene.

"Do you really know how to clean your hands? Without leaving bits between your fingers? If you do things like that properly, you'll get ill a little bit less. They're tiny things but if you clump them all together it makes a big difference."

Has got me wondering what this looks like in discipleship terms. What are the small changes in small areas that, added together, will make us significantly more Christlike?   There's also more than a trace of Pharisaism here, which at its best is attention to detail in obedience to God (read 'the year of living Biblically' if you're not convinced). Attention to detail is an expression of devotion, an act of worship, a declaration in the small things of the big things that are most important to us.

Onward Chris Froome Soldiers

Seeing two British riders leading the Tour de France at the moment is superb. But even more amazing is the job being done by one of them, Chris Froome.

Although Bradley Wiggins is leading, Froome is just 2 minutes behind, and has done most of the donkey work, dragging Wiggins up mountain after mountain in his slipstream. It's all part of a superbly worked out strategy which Sky are delivering to perfection. It's also clear that (so far) Froome is just as strong a challenger as Wiggins.

But Froome is playing the John the Baptist role: 'he must increase, I must decrease', sacrificing his own chance of glory so that Wiggins can win. A few days ago Froome sprinted clear, realised Wiggins hadn't followed, and dropped back again to see him to the line. It's not only a wonderful exhibition of riding talent, it's a wonderful display of character too. Without Froome, and the rest of his team, it would be hard for Wiggins to contemplate winning the Tour. Even with his massive talent, he needs the team around him to get him through.

Which has set me wondering how much better we do as Christians with a Chris Froome, someone to drag us over the mountains, to keep our pace steady, to keep us in the race, when left to our own devices we'd level out or drop out. Time after time in the Bible, it's when left to their own devices that leaders fall apart: Elijah on his own against the King, Saul without Samuel to guide him, King David separated from his armies and advisors, Peter on his own in the high priests courtyard. By contrast, Paul has Barnabas, Timothy has Paul, Jesus surrounds himself with a team and with people who will pray for him (however badly).

Having just joined a gym in one of my repeated attempts to get fit, I know I'll get more out of it with a training partner, with someone to drag me down there when I don't feel like it, to hold me accountable. If it's up to me, its easy not to bother, to find something else to do, to let entropy set in. That's what happened on every previous occasion anyway. We can motivate and encourage and inspire people as much as we like through our sermons, but that will just get people out of the saddle for a few moments. In the long race, every disciple needs a Chris Froome. And we need to play that role for others: 'it takes more grace than I can tell to play the second fiddle well', but investing in someone else's greatness of character is a vital calling.

Peak Performance

Sad to see Andy Murray lose this afternoon, but whatever the post-match analysis, he gave it all he had and prepared as well as he could have done. There's been plenty of comment on Murrays physical training, but also about his mental and emotional readiness for a big game like today.

Disciples of Jesus are called to peak performance - we are called to imitate Christ, to be as much like Jesus as we can possibly be. That's an incredibly high benchmark. Top sportsmen don't just rely on talent and ability to hit peak performance when they need to, they prepare physically, mentally and emotionally so that they're as ready as they can be when peak performance is called for.

If we claim to be followers of Jesus, then we have to get into training as well. 'Prepare your minds for action', 'train yourself to be godly', 'fix your minds on....' 'abstain from....', the training regime for discipleship isn't massively different from that of a top sportsman, though the goal is very different.

 - Mental training: filling our minds with God's truth, wrestling with what it means and how it applies, being careful what we fill our thoughts with (I met someone the other day who's abandoned watching all soaps because they find them too depressing. They weren't a Christian, but maybe are more discerning than some Christians I know). See last weeks discussion about 50 Shades...

 - Physical training: training our bodies not to be slave to our appetities, being physically fit so that we can give our best, be alert, make the most of the life God has given us. Learning not to get too comfortable - I'm startled by how reluctant I am to go under canvas, despite having done lots of it as a teenager, because I'm now too used to my home comforts.

 - Emotional training: knowing how we tick, how we're likely to respond, what we get tempted by, being in control of anger, being practiced in loving, forgiving, showing compassion and mercy, being able to control ourselves in situations where that's needed etc.

I've been struck in recent years by Dallas Willards writing on the spiritual disciplines, a couple of quotes:

"Asking 'what would Jesus do?' when suddenly in the face of an important situation simply is not an adequate discipline or preparation to enable one to live as Jesus lived."

"we so devoutly believe in the power of effort-at-the-moment-of-action alone to accomplish what we want, and completely ignore the need for character change in our lives as a whole. The general human failing is to want what is right and important, but at the same time not to commit ourselves to the kind of life that will produce the action we know to be right.... the road to hell is paved with good intentions. We intend what is right, but we avoide the life that would make it reality." (the Spirit of the Disciplines)

I've just re-signed to a local gym, because my physical condition isn't what it should be, and will get a gym card and workout pattern. I wonder what a spiritual gym card would look like?

Obstacles, a 30 second tutorial.

Enjoy. I'm sure there's a great parable in this somewhere. Will probably get an airing at tomorrows Cafe Service Sports Day, alongside Chariots of Fire.  Ht CVMs' 'Man Friday' ebulletin.

Chariots of Fire resources

Chariots of Fire is back in the cinema in July, in time for the (warning, copyright violation ahead) Olymp*cs. Damaris are producing a suite of resources, video clips etc. for churches to use alongside it, like the one above. Good discussion starters, and a great movie. And hardly a sponsors logo on show. Those were the days.

Capitalism 2 Sport/Free Speech/Democracy 0

Here are the Olympic Rings.

I wonder what would happen if I put them into my blog title bar, or changed my Twitter avatar to a picture of the rings. A spell in prison looks like a possibility, with some draconian brand protection going on around the Ol****cs.

Meanwhile the engine noise at Formula One drowns out the sounds of protest and death in Bahrain, because it wouldn't do to let the sponsors down. Do Formula 1 and its bosses care? Do the drivers have a conscience, and how much contractual freedom do they have to exercise it?

Though at time of writing, there may still be time for Jeremy Clarkson and the boys to break into the pit lane and paint 'Free Bahrain' on the side of all the cars. Or for all the drivers to don 'Pray4Bahrain' t-shirts, to be unveiled at the podium ceremony. It's maybe a bit much to make parallels with the Hunger Games, but is it possible to win in such a way as to make a statement about the parameters of the competition?

You learn a new thing every day

This is todays:

(in the late 19th century) many cities also lacked any infrastructure for leisure. Haphazard sporting pursuits that had been part of the fabric of many towns and villages for centuries began to be organised into proper sporting institutions with clear rules, organised leagues and a desire to divert young minds from drink, sex and destruction. The vicars, priests and ministers who helped pioneer these new sporting diversions were deeply averse to the idea of sport on Sunday. They also had a very distinct temperance agenda. With the advent of the 5½-day week, Saturday afternoon drunkenness was becoming a problem. The 3pm kick-off was partly a result of the desire of church leaders to keep men from spending an afternoon drinking their wages away.

Read the rest of 'Aston Villa and the Mission of God' , on the origins of the football league, and its connection with the local church. Yes I know the season's over. Back to the cricket....

Doctor Who and the Premier League

It's either consistency, or a scriptwriter running out of ideas, but in 2 recent Dr Who episodes, the alien of the week has used a cloaking device to disguise themselves as humans. Back in David Tennants swansong, it was green cacti humanoids, and on Saturday it was the turn of the fish from outer space who'd settled in medieval Venice.

More on that story later. But what if other things are using a cloaking device too? What happens, for example, if we disable the one used by footballs' Premier League? Here's the final table.

1. Mammon
2. Mammon United
3. Mammon
4. Mammon Hotspur
5. Mammon City
6. Mammon Villa (but see first comment)
7. Mammon
8. Mammon
9. Mammon City
10. Mammon Rovers
11. Mammon City
12. Mammon
13. Mammon
14. Mammon Wanderers
15. Mammon Wanderers
16. Mammon Athletic
17. Mammon Ham United
18. Mammon
19. Mammon
20. Mammon (or -Mammon, to be more accurate)

Back to the fish people. They'd hit a snag, having run out of females, so their idea was to (avoid if squeamish) drain the blood of earth women and replace it with their own, which would turn them into female fish folk. Given the origin of several of the above teams as social/youth projects, one has to wonder something of the original spirit of football has been drained out. What transfusion process has happened at the top tier of the 'beautiful game'?

Final connection: on Sunday we looked at Isaiah 6 - there's a change of government (the king has died) so Isaiah goes to pray. He sees God as he really is (awesome beyond words), through that he sees himself as he really is (sinful beyond words), but once the divine X-rays have revealed his own heart, Isaiah is then cleaned up and commissioned to be part of the solution. Seeing things as they truly are is how we diagnose sickness, and find the way back to health. If we'd switched off the cloaking device on the debt crunch and the housing bubble, perhaps we'd be in less mess now. I note that it's quietly being reactivated in the hope that nobody will notice.

Regular readers will know that I prefer cricket to football, and I'm fearful of the same tranfusion there. Will Yorkshire always be Yorkshire? Already their ground is named after a sponsor, though at least the sponsor is educational...

Faith, Football and Sweaty T-Shirts

Would God rather be on the pitch, or in the stands watching? Being omnipresent He can, of course, do both at the same time, but how far is it ok for players to express their faith on the pitch?

A new BBC World Service prog on the relationship between faith and football opens this up very well, worth a listen, some insights both on the work of team chaplains, and it invites comparisons with other recent issues over faith in the workplace.

From the FIFA website, on a visit by Sepp Blatter to Moldova.
Next stop was the Orthodox Church, where President Blatter was awarded Moldova's highest honour, that of 'Stephen the Pious, the Great and the Saint', by His Holiness Vladimir, the Metropolitan Bishop of Chisinau and all Moldova. "I am deeply touched by this award. For me, religion and football have at least one thing in common: they bring hope and emotion to the people," said the FIFA President.

that's 2 things Sepp, but we'll let that go. Also from FIFA, in the Equipment Regulations
15.1. All forms of advertising for sponsors or third parties, of political, reli­gious or personal statements or other announcements, are prohibited on all kit items (see Annex A) inside the stadium.

which is fair enough, though some of the most courageous sportsmen in recent times include the Zimbabwean cricketers who used their profile through the sport to protest about the government. It's also a good way to protect the turf for the FIFA designated sponsors and bankrollers.

A few months ago Fifa warned the Brazilian team against displaying religious slogans on the pitch. That doesn't stop people crossing themselves, or dedicating goals upwards, so it seems reasonable. At the same time, money talks, and Fifa is probably quite sensitive to certain parts of the 'market' taking offense: it's not easy to know whether this secular equality or capitalist pragmatism talking. Possibly both.

Deep Church notes that possibly 40m people will listen to the radio programme.

Appropriate, or....?

It struck me, as I waited for the Haye vs Valuev boxing result this evening, that a fist fight in Nuremburg might not be the most appropriate sporting event to have on the eve of Remembrance Day.

On the other hand, having a Brit and a Russian (who, by the way, has been much more impressive out of the ring, despite losing within it - we could learn a thing or two about courtesy towards opponents) boxing on German soil is progress of a sort, compared to 65 years ago.

Ashes Back on Free TV? Yet Another Campaigning Triumph

Great news today that the Ashes may be returning to free-to-air TV. I'm sure all the credit for this must fall to the 27 members of 'Lets Have the 2013 Ashes on Free TV' Facebook group, so thankyou to all of you. It's amazing what you can accomplish with a small band of dedicated followers.

At this stage it's only a recommendation that the Ashes be restored to the 'Crown Jewels' list of sports. However, the Telegraph are pretty confident that it will happen, as the government seems sympathetic. A senior government source told the Sunday Telegraph: "It's a no-brainer. This is one thing we can do that chimes in with the wishes of millions of voters."

It would be an interesting call if it came down to a Cameron goverment to make the final decision. Wonder if the Sun might get a little bit more hostile if the Tories take away some of Mr Murdochs toys? However, I'm sure Gordon Brown will be delighted to make the decision himself, should be a much easier call than deciding whether to have an election.

Provisional score: General Public 1 Murdoch Empire 0

The Zero Emission Formula 1 Car

made entirely out of T-shirts and jeans. Ok, so that's not strictly zero emission, but it's certainly a heck of a lot quieter. Pic from here, thanks to Ian for the tip-off.

Cheaty Cheaty Bung Bung

What do the following have in common:

• Formula 1
• Afghanistan elections
• Westminster MP's
• Derren Brown
• Several Premiership football clubs
• Harlequins
  

Yup, cheats (or alleged cheats) are everywhere. OK Derren Brown may not have cheated, but anyone tuning in to find out how he 'predicted' the lottery numbers on Friday would have been disappointed. He promised to explain how he'd done it, and didn't - or at least, nobody else who watched the program is any the wiser*. So maybe 'misdirection' is the latest word for being 'economical with the truth'. The main trick he pulled was to get people watching his programme, and that worked very well.

From an early age, we're wired to sniff out potential cheats. Cries of 'that's not fair!' echo around every school playground and childrens party. It often means 'you've got something I haven't, and I'm jealous', which is another reason why people cheat in the first place.

The way we use language to cover up our cheating is almost comical. Brown (Derren, that is) gets away with 'misdirection', and millions of illegal downloaders protest about being 'criminalised'. How does that work? If you're doing something that's against the law, and you know it's against the law, you're a criminal. Yet somehow it's the laws fault, and the downloader is entirely blameless. The same specious rubbish is used about speeding. Are benefit and tax cheats 'criminalised' too?

The good news is that we can still get up in arms about cheating. The moral compass still works. The bad news is that we're better at reading other people's compasses than our own. Whether it's MP's trying to bluff their way through expenses scandals, or a football manager protecting his diving centre forward, there are far too many supposed role models who live as though cheating was ok, and a perfectly acceptable means to an end.

Before we get too uptight about the Afghan elections, and what Our Boys are doing propping up a corrupt and backward regime, it's worth reminding ourselves that the UK is hardly a bastion of fair play. If we wink at, celebrate, or reward those who cut moral corners, then we lose moral authority. When there are protests that immigrant communities have failed to 'integrate', I sometimes wonder if they've been wise not to do so, given the values of their host nation.

My other concern is that we're leaning to experience moral outrage as a form of entertainment. It sells newspapers, as the Telegraph discovered to their shareholders delight and MP's distress. The online Daily Mail headline generator ('Will Yobs infect British farmers with AIDS?') is close enough to the truth. If we can package moral outrage as an 'event' - a march, a music festival (remember Live8) then that heightens involvement, but our politicians also know that within a few days we'll have got bored and moved onto the next thing. Sustained pressure, outside of committed activists and pressure groups, is more elusive.

The encouraging thing is that these stories are 'news'. If everyone in rugby cheated, Harlequins wouldn't stand out. Unfortunately cheating is suspected/expected in so many sports now (athletics, cycling, football....) that rugby was seen, until this year, as an island of fair play in a sea of corruption. Will that tide turn back, or is this just part of human nature which will keep repeating somewhere, in some form, for as long as there's an advantage to be gained?

this is a cross post from the Wardman Wire, where I occasionally write a column called 'Touching Base'.

*if you watch the vid, his method is a load of cobblers: 'averaging out' numbers from 24 people who write from their 'collective unconscious'. Notice that none of them see his workings, or his conclusions. I really hope his 'team' weren't taken in by this, nor anybody else. The online consensus seems to be that it was a camera trick, with a split screen, with the balls switched after the draw, and the split screen removed.

Woohoo!

Brilliant performance by England to win the Lords test.
Player ratings here

Liturgy for the defeat of the Aussies:
The Gathering
Archdruid: Haddin may last for the night
All: But Freddie striketh in the morning.

My predictions are looking ok: Clarke emerging as top Oz batsman, Cook starting to bat like a left-handed Vaughan but still plenty of work to do. I'd be surprised if Freddie lasts the series, but what a way to go. 2 main worries from Lords: if either Mitchell Johnson had bowled well, or the umpires had got the decisions right in the Aussie 2nd innings, we could well have lost.

Winning Through

Had this on a leadership circular yesterday:

Last night I was gripped by the five-setter Murray played against Wawrinka. Would he win through or once again be knocked out before he got to the final? He was evidently struggling in the final set.

We’ve just completed a residential on the theme: Going the distance. Will we or won’t we? I love the words Paul writes in 2 Timothy: ‘I have fought the good fight, run the race, kept the faith.’

Most of us are a long way from the final set, but the decisions we make now will go some way to determining how we will do in later years. Overwork now, pay for it later? Cut corners now, pay for it later? Neglect loved ones now, pay for it later? Miss days off, skimp on holidays, pay for it later?

Now of course things aren’t as neat or tidy as that. And there is always the grace of God that sees us through the ups and downs of life and leadership. But if we are going to join Paul and look back on life and say we’ve run the race, kept the faith, fought the fight, there may be some things to attend to now for the sake of the future.

For me this means facing some hard issues over the summer that I need to find some way through. .....

What might it mean for you?

Will he or won’t he? Murray won the final set. Will we or won’t we? By the grace of God so can we.

Pass the Salt

An extract from Gordon Browns Guardian interview today
…private and public worlds have both shown themselves to be irresponsible. “The public realm and the free market realm are subject to inherent weaknesses that have got to be underpinned by having shared values that lead to shared rules,” he says, in some version, many times. Values, values, values, rules, rules, rules.

What are our ’shared values’? Hmmmm

- The expenses scandal rumbles on, latest allegation is that 50 MP’s claimed more for council tax than they were actually billed. The only 2 MPs to have quit parliament are the Speaker and a Labour chap who was set up by his own party.
Shared values: greed, secrecy, taking the public for fools, newspaper sales, censorship, troughing, pride, corruption.

- Formula 1 teams are threatening a breakaway because Max Mosley won’t allow them to spend as much as they want to. They’re portraying themselves as righteous but wronged. One of these teams was penalised for cheating earlier in the year, another accused of spying a couple of years ago.
Shared values: greed, sex, power, global warming, deceit, testosterone.

- Setanta Sports is running out of cash, and it looks like their arms race with Sky will be a short one. Riding the avalanche of cash which has stolen the soul of football are folk like Ronaldo, now the most expensive player in the world. After a season of protestations of loyalty to Man U, one of the games most notorious divers has followed the money.
Shared values: greed, winking, cheating, lying, devil take the hindmost, market share. Someone mumbled something about the ‘beautiful game’ but I couldn’t see it for the size of the price tag.

- As unemployment surges past 2 million, RBS’s Fred Goodwin has finally agreed to reduce his pension, under threat of legal action. He’s accepted a £3.7m increase in his pension pot, instead of the original £8.2m, having already pocketed a 7 figure lump sum.
Shared values: whatever I can get away with, greed, inequality, rewarding failure.

- The global total of ‘undernourished’ people has hit 1 billion for the first time, in the wake of the global financial crisis. There is still enough wealth to go round, but it’s not going round. Rich nations have defaulted on their commitments on debt and aid, as they have on commitments to reduce carbon emissions, a failure which will hit the poorest most. The rules favour the rich: for example rich nations have pre-ordered swine flu vaccines, whilst poorer nations can’t afford to.
Shared values: greed, global warming, death, out of sight out of mind, selfishness, consumer capitalism.

Basically if you have the money, you can set the rules. I’m struggling to think of a single area of life where the rules are set by those with the least power. Help me out here?

Brown is right: unless there is an alternative set of values to ‘all of the above’, the rules will continue to favour the immoral.

We had to chuck some bread the other day which had gone mouldy in the warmer weather. Before fridges and chemicals, salt was the most common preservative, and Jesus once told his followers to be the ’salt of the earth’. Of the two opposing forces, decay and preservation, decay is the natural state (see above). It requires an active choice to be a force of health and preservation. There is a sour taste of decay about the stories above, someone please pass the salt.

This is a cross post from Touching Base, my regular column on the Wardman Wire.